In 2015, the new UNE-EN ISO 9001 quality management standardwas approved after a lengthy revision process. For this reason, all those standards based on this document have also had to be updated to adapt to new developments in the reference standard, as well as to include modifications specific to their sector of application.
On 14 September 2018 all certificates issued in the previous version will cease to be valid.
This is the case of standard UNE-EN 9100, a standard developed by the International Aerospace Quality Group (IAQG)which lays the foundation for the certification of quality systems for aviation, space and defence organisations., and of which the latest version has been published: UNE-EN 9100:2016.
While in other revisions the changes were minor and of little impact with respect to the previous version, on this occasion major changes have been introduced that represent an important step forward. renewal of management systems implemented in companies in the sector.
Some noteworthy changes to be taken into account are:
- Organisational contextThe new standard requires an analysis of the organisation's environment, the so-called stakeholder groups. This analysis should assess the importance of each of these groups and be directly related to what is described in the following points.
- Risks and opportunitiesCompanies wishing to be certified under the guidelines of the new UNE-EN 9100 version must have a methodology for the detection and management of the risks and opportunities to which the organisation is exposed. This will mean having a continuously updated action plan, which shows that the organisation is capable of mitigating risks and taking advantage of opportunities without destabilising the established indicators.
- Communication planAnother requirement for the introduction of a novelty in management systems is to have a communication plan in the organisation. This communication plan must be both external and internal, and although it is not compulsory for it to be documented, it is advisable for organisations with a certain degree of complexity in their communications, as it must be known by all those involved in its operation.
- Objectives of the systemIn order to promote and demonstrate continuous improvement, it is necessary to establish and monitor a series of improvement objectives. This is not new, it was already done in previous versions, but now these objectives must be aligned with the result of the analysis of the organisation's context, with the risks and opportunities plan, as well as being coherent with the communication plan.
In my opinion, these are the changes that will turn around and strengthen the functioning of management systems, but there are many more specific changes, such as those relating to product safety and obsolescence or protection against counterfeit parts, which will also have to be taken into account in the adaptation of the management systems of companies in the sector.
The 14 September 2018 all certificates issued in the previous version will cease to be valid, therefore certified companies have until that date to pass the audit based on the new UNE-EN 9100:2016 standard. These will be carried out within the framework of a transitional audit. Until then, both certifications will coexist.
